December 30, 2008, 3:15PM

I often find I have both too many and too few seeds! So I'm hosting a snail-mail seed swap as a way to get rid of your extra seeds, while picking up something new to try. MLive is not renewing blog contracts for 2009, so this is my last entry. You can keep following my gardening adventures at Garden... Full story »

December 29, 2008, 11:12AM

Timing has never been my strong suit. So I didn't remember to buy my holiday amaryllis until three days after Christmas, and then only coincidentally. I bet it'll bloom by February! I bought it mostly as an experiment, because I want to find out whether those instructions for getting it to rebloom next season really work! Yep, I'm a bit... Full story »

December 22, 2008, 5:01PM

If you've still got gifts to wrap, why not use some evergreens as decoration? I'm also taking a closer look (literally) at poinsettias, and providing a link to track Santa on Christmas Eve! Full story »

December 19, 2008, 5:21PM

Earlier this year, I wrote about how Chicago blooms in summer, with all the flowers all over downtown. It turns out Chicago is decorated with festive, natural arrangements at Christmastime, too. Full story »

December 13, 2008, 11:04AM

On Wednesday, my friend Carole and I visited the Chicago Christkindlmarkt (German Christmas market), and I'll share details and photos of that adventure another time. Today I provide a recipe for Glühwein, a mulled red wine treat popular at the market and in Germany. Full story »

December 09, 2008, 5:01PM

The astute among you will no doubt be shouting "Hey! It's not Friday, it's Tuesday! Helllllo!" Well, true enough, but I have another topic planned for later in the week, and a bunch of tips and ideas just piling up to be shared, so I thought I'd simply switch Friday to Tuesday. Which is easy on the web! Full story »

December 02, 2008, 6:22AM

Botanical gardens are just as much fun to visit around the holidays as they are during the regular growing season. Many area gardens offer indoor and outdoor holiday lights, displays, and events. Full story »

November 30, 2008, 9:14AM

I really like fixing little things around the house. You don't even need that much skill or knowledge. You mostly need elbow grease, determination, and the ability to laugh at how things go wrong. As Michael Scott (of The Office) once said, "I'm not going to give up that easily. I'm going to make this way harder than it needs... Full story »

November 19, 2008, 6:07PM

Last night I attended the annual potluck banquet of the Washtenaw County Master Gardener Association. That's always a lot of fun, and a good segue for me to talk about the master gardener volunteer program! Full story »